Appearances
by denise1
Summary: A tag to Brief Candle. Thanks to the one person that nicely pointed out my error - Appearances do matter, especially to Jack


Appearances

By

Denise

Jack stood before the mirror staring at the reflection. The reflection, not his. This wasn't him; it had to be some odd nightmare. The creature staring back at him was a slightly bent over, grizzled old man, not the moderately good-looking fortyish Air Force Colonel he knew himself to be.

With a sigh of disgust he turned, fighting the urge to smash the offensive piece of silvered glass. This sucked, in oh so many ways it sucked. It was bad enough that he'd let his libido do the thinking and caught the mother of all STD's…but to have his indiscretions clearly visible for all to see…he wanted to crawl under the bed and hide.

True, Carter said he'd return to normal…but what did she know? She was an astrophysicist not a …whoever studied itsy bitsy machines. He hadn't missed the accusatory look on her face, on all their faces, when they'd realized what he'd done. Hell, how was he supposed to rag on Daniel for touching stuff when he…did a lot more than touching.

True, he was drugged, they all knew that. And they all said they'd understood, that it was really no different than when Carter had drank that souped up fruit juice and started disrobing around the fire on P3X595. How were they to know juice and her birth control pills didn't mix? Exactly. How was he to know that Kynthia's cake was liberally laced with the Argosian equivalent of Viagra? He was just being hospitable, didn't want to offend the natives. Daniel did the same thing with his anteater on steroids on Abydos. And that cake had tasted NOTHING like chicken. That should have been his first clue.

He plopped down on the unmade bed in the VIP quarters, swallowing a groan at the stab of pain from his hips and back. If the effects of the nanocites were reversing themselves someone really needed to tell the arthritis in his joints to take a hike. If this was what he had to look forward to in the future who wanted it? To hell with old age, give him a nice quick death instead.

His eyes surveyed the room, gliding over the bits and pieces of clothing and dirty dishes. Knowing that Jack going home risked him being seen by someone, which would raise questions that couldn't be answered, Hammond had ordered him to remain on the base until all the nanocites were gone and he looked like himself. That was fine, he could live with that.

What he hadn't counted on was the whole debacle having made its way through the grapevine. It had taken him just one trip to the commissary to discover that not only did the whole base know why he was looking like Methuselah, they also knew HOW he'd gotten that way. Fraiser groused about the morals of issuing all SGC personnel condoms in their med kits. Hammond had Davis trying to come up with ways to delicately put 'don't screw with the natives' into the SGC manual. The Marines snickered as he shuffled by them and Janet's nurses…he wouldn't have to worry about any of them putting the moves on him ever again, now that they knew what they had to look forward to in thirty years or so.

He laid back and stared at the ceiling. Hammond might as well have had him confined to the brig because there was no way in hell he was going out of this room until he looked normal. No matter how long it took.

XXXXXXXXXX

Teal'c stood outside the VIP room listening for sounds from inside. It was late he knew, much of the base having gone home. Despite the hour however, he was certain that the man inside was not asleep. Even under normal circumstances, O'Neill was not a heavy sleeper. And for such a man to have sequestered himself inside a room with few amenities save a bed and dresser, he was certain that he was too bored to sleep.

Knocking perfunctorily he opened the door and slid into the room, closing the door behind him. His eyes scanned the dim interior. The doors to the armoire were hanging open and a few pieces of clothing littered the room. He saw and could smell the remains of several meals lying on trays scattered on various horizontal surfaces. O'Neill was lying half on the bed, his arm over his eyes seemingly oblivious to his visitor. "O'Neill," he called, coming to a stop by the bed.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," he answered, his hand still over his face. Teal'c could hear the resigned tone of the man's voice, reminiscent of back on Argos when he'd realized his further existence in this universe was measured in days not years…and that fate inescapable.

"This behavior accomplishes nothing."

"Teal'c…bite me."

"If you wish, however I was under the impression that you preferred females," the Jaffa said, stepping forward and picking the colonel's arm off his face.

"What the! Geez Teal'c, it's an expression for cryin out loud!" The colonel exclaimed, pulling his arm out of Teal'c's grasp and sitting up. "It means….well it DOESN'T mean I want you to bite me."

"Indeed. If it does not mean what you say, then why say it?"

"I….what do you want?" The man asked, getting to his feet.

"According to Daniel Jackson there is a full moon rising tonight. I have never seen a full moon on your planet."

"Yeah so? Tell Hammond you want to go up top. I'm sure he'll let you."

"He has granted me permission. However I am only to journey to the surface in the companionship of another member of my team. And since Captain Carter and Daniel Jackson are not here, that member is you."

"Teal'c, I can't go."

"I was not aware that General Hammond had confined you to this room for the duration of your recovery?"

"He hasn't."

"Then why can you not travel…"

"It's complicated."

"I see no complication. I can not leave without you and you are not forbidden to leave. Therefore we should be able to journey to the surface together."

"I…" He saw the man pause, apparently trying to come up with a reason not to leave the room. Teal'c hoped he did not persist in arguing. He had been appointed the task of removing O'Neill from the room, and it was a task he would not fail at. And he did not think that O'Neill would appreciate being carried from the room. "What the hell?" He said defeatedly, getting to his feet.

Teal'c stood back as O'Neill walked past him, pulling a jacket out of the wardrobe. "Let's get this over with." He walked towards the door. Teal'c paused, then reached into the wardrobe to pull out one of O'Neill's caps which he handed to the man. "Fifteen minutes. Then we come back down. And if I hear a single condom joke you're on your own," he said, pulling the door open.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jack stepped outside, breathing deep the clean cool air. Almost immediately he felt his head clear and his body relax. He'd missed this. He inhaled deeply again, smelling the aroma of dew dampened soil, the soft twang of ever green, even the acrid smell of exhaust fumes was welcome.

"I have been told that there is a vantage point this way," Teal'c said, motioning uphill. With a faint shrug Jack followed him, the light from the full moon illuminating the path well enough for them not to need flashlights. They climbed higher and Jack could feet his heartbeat quicken as his breathing deepen due to the exertion. It took them a few minutes to reach Teal'c's spot. When they arrived Jack sank gratefully down on a convenient log, his leg muscles twitching in protest to the sudden spurt of activity. He should have done this before, would have, had he not been avoiding the prying eyes of the other personnel.

Sliding to the ground he leaned his back against the log, his eyes drawn up to the brilliant moon above. It was a beautiful night, cool but not cold, a light breeze stirring the trees. They sat in silence for several more minutes and Jack felt himself relax for the first time in weeks. He'd been looking at the same moon months ago when Samuels had shown up on his rooftop to tell him the Stargate was back in commission. That night seemed so long ago and far away. A lifetime, in more ways than one.

"Something troubles you," Teal'c said softly, his voice astonishingly loud in the quiet of the night.

"Huh? No I…"

"Since our return from Argos you have been increasingly subdued. Are the nanocites causing you pain?"

Jack shook his head. "No. I…It's complicated." Teal'c didn't respond. "It's just…I'm OLD Teal'c," Jack complained.

"Doctor Fraiser and Captain Carter have both said that while you appear to be of great age you are not."

Jack tore off his hat, revealing the wispy white hair. "Look at me Teal'c! I look like….like Hammond's grandfather. Hell if this is what I have waiting for me in forty years or so I don't want to go there."

"You said you are forty earth years of age?" Teal'c asked.

"Yeah. So?" Jack answered, confused by the sudden change of topic.

"When I was forty years of age I was still a Jaffa amongst Apophis' ranks. I had no family save my mother who lived many villages away. I was…much like your 'airmen', a mere soldier in the ranks. Apophis' army is a large one, scattered amongst several worlds. To gain any sort of notice and the chance to prove yourself in battle you had to be noticed. It took me thirty years to gain Apophis' notice and favor. You say you feel old O'Neill. When you were but a babe in arms I was in battle with Heru'ur. When you took your first steps I executed Hanno's father on Cartago. You are not old O'Neill…you are but a child," he finished softly.

Jack stopped and thought, doing the math in his head. "How old are you?" he asked.

"Daniel Jackson and I are still attempting to reconcile the Chulakian year with an Earth year however we have determined that I am either ninety-nine or one hundred of your years."

"Ninety…whoa. Well you don't look a day over…forty," Jack sputtered in disbelief.

"Indeed. Appearances can be deceiving," Teal'c said, looking pointedly at Jack. "And a truly wise man knows how to look beneath the surface."

Despite himself, Jack grinned. Teal'c was right. Who the hell cared what he looked like? He knew the truth. He got to his feet, brushing the dirt off the back of his pants. "You know I wish you hadn't have told me that," he said as Teal'c also stood up.

"Why would you not wish to know my true age?"

"Oh. It's not that. It's just, how am I supposed to keep a straight face the next time Hammond calls you 'son'?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Teal'c followed O'Neill back to his room noticing the lack of a slouch in his stance, the slight spring in his steps, both things that had been missing in the past two weeks. He chuckled internally imagining if O'Neill were to ever meet Tek'mate Bra'tac. He thought the two warriors would discover they were kindred souls, at least where the obsession with age was concerned.

They came to halt outside O'Neill's room. The colonel turned, his hand on the doorknob. "Teal'c…thanks," he said. Teal'c merely nodded his head. "Umm…you don't have to see me in or anything," O'Neill continued, obviously expecting Teal'c to turn and leave.

"I believe the custom is to invite me in for a nightcap?" Teal'c said, frowning at the odd word.

"Teal'c aah…this looking at the moon isn't some weird custom or…." His words trailed off as the door opened, the sudden absence of its support nearly causing the man to fall.

"Jack. It's about time you were back," Daniel Jackson enthused, reaching out to steady his friend.

"You say that now. Who was worrying he'd get back too soon?" Teal'c heard the light voice of Captain Carter come from somewhere inside the room.

"Daniel? Carter? What's going on?" He demanded, shaking off Daniel Jackson's arm and walking past him. He stopped short at the sight of several new items of furniture. He crossed to the large recliner, running his hands over its upholstered surface. "My chair…"

"Your coffee table, TV, VCR and stereo," Daniel chimed in, pointing out each item as he handed O'Neill the controlling devices.

"Plus some books and clothes. The sofa and the mini refrigerator are on loan from the rec. room on level 15 sir. Sorry we couldn't get yours but there was just no more room in Siler's truck," Captain Carter said, pulling her head out from behind the electronic items and brushing her hands off. "The general even managed to get cable in here, though I'm not sure I want to know how."

Speechless O'Neill stared at the members of his team, then at all the items in the room. "Why?"

"Teal'c sorta noticed that you were a little down and it didn't take a genius to figure it out," Daniel explained.

"We talked to the general and he agreed that since it was his idea that you be confined to base the least we could do was make it comfortable," Sam said.

"It actually was Teal'c's idea to raid your house," Daniel said. "And since I still have a key, the only hard part was getting you out of here long enough to set it all up."

"I…Thanks," Jack said, swallowing hard. He stared at these people. People that just a few months ago were total strangers to him, people he now called friends. Friends that didn't care what you looked like, but knew who you were, and accepted you just the way you came. Friends that saw through the façade he presented to the rest of the world, and didn't run away screaming. Friends that demanded nothing more than him returning the favor and accepting them as well.

Daniel and Sam looked at each other and smiled. "Any time sir."

"Consider it payback for a beer and a sympathetic ear," Daniel answered.

"It's late sir. We should…." Sam started to say as the silence stretched.

"Yeah right. Late. Gotta be in early in  the morning," Daniel agreed, walking past him to join her by the door.

"What? Wait," Jack said, turning, the remote still in his hand. "There's plenty of room," he said, gesturing at the sofa and the now made bed behind it.

Sam looked at Daniel who shrugged. "We thought you wanted to be alone, sir," she said.

Jack looked at Teal'c who was standing in the corner, his arms across his chest. "I've been alone long enough. Sit you two. Teal'c want to see what's in that refrigerator?" Jack plopped down in the recliner popping the footrest up with practiced efficiency. "Let's see how many channels the old man sprung for?" Jack said, enjoying the muted groaning from his impromptu room guests. Yep, being alone wasn't nearly as much fun as having someone around to harass.

Fin


End file.
